Yamaha XT 500
Real ownership data from 1,587 UK XT 500 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common XT 500 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Other | fail | 20% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 13.8% |
| Electrical | major | 9.2% |
| Wheels | major | 8.6% |
| Tyres | user entered | 6.3% |
| Exhaust and emissions | fail | 4.1% |
| Brakes | fail | 3.5% |
| Controls and cables | prs | 3.5% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is lights and indicators.
XT 500 mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| YearYear | MedianMedian mileage | Mi/yrMiles/year | MOT passFirst-time pass | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 5 | 18,220 mi | 95 | 83.33% |
| 2020 | 12 | 10,560 mi | 81 | 100% |
| 2019 | 11 | 7,756 mi | 266 | 64.29% |
| 2018 | 19 | 7,929 mi | 210 | 81.08% |
| 2017 | 35 | 10,798 mi | 184 | 86.3% |
| 2016 | 38 | 9,362 mi | 76 | 78.65% |
| 2015 | 27 | 14,414 mi | 178 | 77.23% |
| 2014 | 28 | 10,209 mi | 233 | 82% |
| 2013 | 26 | 9,092 mi | 154 | 83.17% |
| 2012 | 16 | 13,832 mi | 281 | 85.71% |
| 2011 | 19 | 9,720 mi | 114 | 86.44% |
| 2010 | 14 | 11,881 mi | 248 | 88.42% |
| 2009 | 9 | 6,068 mi | 64 | 68.29% |
| 2008 | 9 | 9,943 mi | 238 | 60.47% |
| 2007 | 9 | 11,136 mi | 81 | 84.15% |
| 2006 | 6 | 15,522 mi | 91 | 80.39% |
| 2004 | 5 | 11,248 mi | 220 | 83.72% |
| 2003 | 11 | 17,858 mi | 72 | 88.1% |
| 2002 | 12 | 20,372 mi | 168 | 70.42% |
| 2001 | 9 | 26,439 mi | 324 | 76.09% |
XT 500 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Yamaha XT 500?
Across 1,587 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are other (20% of all recorded faults), steering and head bearings (13.8% of all recorded faults), electrical (9.2% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Yamaha XT 500?
The median Yamaha XT 500 in the UK has covered 14,399 miles, and typically rides about 150 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 7,528 and 24,715 miles.
Is the Yamaha XT 500 reliable?
82.22% of Yamaha XT 500 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.14 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 1,587 Yamaha XT 500 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.